Photo courtesy of DDOTAfter working out some kinks, the D.C. Department of Transportation is bringing back a street parking program that caters to people with disabilities.
The Red Top Meter Program is being revived in the city’s Central Business District, which covers downtown and parts of neighborhoods like Foggy Bottom and Capitol Hill.
Beginning May 8, only people who have disability placards and tags can park at the 350 meters marked with red tops. Unlike current regulations, people with disabilities will have to pay to park at these meters, but they can stay for four hours—double the time of a regular meter.
Drivers who park at the meters without the proper tags will be fined $250.
The program dates back to 2012 when DDOT planned to install 1,500 of the meters across the city to account for nine percent of all metered spots. At the time, critics questioned the transit agency’s intentions, arguing that it planned to install red top meters to potentially increase parking ticket revenue.
There were questions about why DDOT put the red top meters where they did—largely in Wards 2 and 6—and so close to potential obstacles for people with handicaps. “These meters were installed in a sporadic, helter skelter, actually incomprehensible manner, without any apparent rhyme or reason,” said Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh.
Following the confusion, the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation that halted the program in March 2012. So the city stopped enforcing the program and allowed everyone to park at the red top meters and people with disabilities to park at any metered spot in the city for free.
Now, though, the red top meters are back. While DDOT says the program will expand to other neighborhoods, the new regulations are only in place for the Central Business District for now. Here’s a map of that area.
Map courtesy of DDOT
